• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

End The Tyranny Of The Lawn!!

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
In the news...
Back to the wild: how 'ungardening' took root in America
Washington (AFP) - Retired union organizer Anna Burger lives by a busy road just a minute's walk from a metro station in the US capital Washington, but every morning she wakes up to a birdsong symphony.

Butterflies, squirrels and even the occasional deer also come to visit the tree-covered property that she has cultivated with a focus on native species that provide nesting space and nourishment for the local wildlife.

Well-manicured grass lawns have long been associated with the American Dream, but a growing "rewilding" movement now seeks to reclaim yard space for nature.

"We knew that putting chemicals on grass to try to keep it green seemed to be a futile process that wasn't good for kids playing or for the environment," Burger told AFP.

She and her husband bought the house in 1990 and "we've tried to make it friendly, making sure that we have water sources, making sure that there are food sources so these trees aren't the most colorful but have great berries."

The couple's home is surrounded by several houses whose occupants take a more traditional approach toward their green space, but a stroll through the leafy Takoma Park neighborhood reveals many more where "ungardening" has taken root.

Precise definitions of what this means vary, but the concept of meddling less and celebrating nature more was notably popularized in 1993 book "Noah's Garden" by Sara Stein, a Bible for the movement.

- 'My energy space' -

A few blocks away from Burger's house, Jim Nichols, a nurse consultant and massage therapist, shows off the "Certified Wildlife Habitat" sign he acquired from a local non-profit group after meeting requirements like feeding, nesting space and water supply.

Nichols also eschews the use of pesticides in his yard, explaining: "We have a lot of insects and I try to work with the insects," adding that he is particularly proud of the honey bees that come to water.

"It's my energy space. It's where I get energy and feed off the energy from my garden," he added.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
In the news...
Back to the wild: how 'ungardening' took root in America
Washington (AFP) - Retired union organizer Anna Burger lives by a busy road just a minute's walk from a metro station in the US capital Washington, but every morning she wakes up to a birdsong symphony.

Butterflies, squirrels and even the occasional deer also come to visit the tree-covered property that she has cultivated with a focus on native species that provide nesting space and nourishment for the local wildlife.

Well-manicured grass lawns have long been associated with the American Dream, but a growing "rewilding" movement now seeks to reclaim yard space for nature.

"We knew that putting chemicals on grass to try to keep it green seemed to be a futile process that wasn't good for kids playing or for the environment," Burger told AFP.

She and her husband bought the house in 1990 and "we've tried to make it friendly, making sure that we have water sources, making sure that there are food sources so these trees aren't the most colorful but have great berries."

The couple's home is surrounded by several houses whose occupants take a more traditional approach toward their green space, but a stroll through the leafy Takoma Park neighborhood reveals many more where "ungardening" has taken root.

Precise definitions of what this means vary, but the concept of meddling less and celebrating nature more was notably popularized in 1993 book "Noah's Garden" by Sara Stein, a Bible for the movement.

- 'My energy space' -

A few blocks away from Burger's house, Jim Nichols, a nurse consultant and massage therapist, shows off the "Certified Wildlife Habitat" sign he acquired from a local non-profit group after meeting requirements like feeding, nesting space and water supply.

Nichols also eschews the use of pesticides in his yard, explaining: "We have a lot of insects and I try to work with the insects," adding that he is particularly proud of the honey bees that come to water.

"It's my energy space. It's where I get energy and feed off the energy from my garden," he added.

We have a small courtyard at the rear of our house, its developed with love and care and absolutely no knowledge of gardening into, what the local gardening society call a unique oasis.

Its very 3 dimensional and pretty wild until you look closer. Grape vines, strawberry plants, an apple tree, a lemon tree and a fig tree mix with lavender, roses and ivy.

Its a beautiful, secluded place to hide from daily life.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
We have a small courtyard at the rear of our house, its developed with love and care and absolutely no knowledge of gardening into, what the local gardening society call a unique oasis.

Its very 3 dimensional and pretty wild until you look closer. Grape vines, strawberry plants, an apple tree, a lemon tree and a fig tree mix with lavender, roses and ivy.

Its a beautiful, secluded place to hide from daily life.
I have much mowed lawn, but it's necessary to provide access to buildings & utilities.
And then too, I have a newly mowed field for a niece's September wedding.
Everything else is managed wildness.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
Our lawn and the associated technology required to maintain it is long gone. The garden which took its place is tending toward wildness because of neglect but we're aiming for a balance between order and chaos.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Our lawn and the associated technology required to maintain it is long gone. The garden which took its place is tending toward wildness because of neglect but we're aiming for a balance between order and chaos.
But do you pick up after yourself?
 

sooda

Veteran Member
In the news...
Back to the wild: how 'ungardening' took root in America
Washington (AFP) - Retired union organizer Anna Burger lives by a busy road just a minute's walk from a metro station in the US capital Washington, but every morning she wakes up to a birdsong symphony.

Butterflies, squirrels and even the occasional deer also come to visit the tree-covered property that she has cultivated with a focus on native species that provide nesting space and nourishment for the local wildlife.

Well-manicured grass lawns have long been associated with the American Dream, but a growing "rewilding" movement now seeks to reclaim yard space for nature.

"We knew that putting chemicals on grass to try to keep it green seemed to be a futile process that wasn't good for kids playing or for the environment," Burger told AFP.

She and her husband bought the house in 1990 and "we've tried to make it friendly, making sure that we have water sources, making sure that there are food sources so these trees aren't the most colorful but have great berries."

The couple's home is surrounded by several houses whose occupants take a more traditional approach toward their green space, but a stroll through the leafy Takoma Park neighborhood reveals many more where "ungardening" has taken root.

Precise definitions of what this means vary, but the concept of meddling less and celebrating nature more was notably popularized in 1993 book "Noah's Garden" by Sara Stein, a Bible for the movement.

- 'My energy space' -

A few blocks away from Burger's house, Jim Nichols, a nurse consultant and massage therapist, shows off the "Certified Wildlife Habitat" sign he acquired from a local non-profit group after meeting requirements like feeding, nesting space and water supply.

Nichols also eschews the use of pesticides in his yard, explaining: "We have a lot of insects and I try to work with the insects," adding that he is particularly proud of the honey bees that come to water.

"It's my energy space. It's where I get energy and feed off the energy from my garden," he added.

We've done the same here.. Now we have a huge songbird population as well as hawks, owls, hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees and chipmunks. Its all about habitat.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
We've done the same here.. Now we have a huge songbird population as well as hawks, owls, hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees and chipmunks. Its all about habitat.
Yesterday I saw a flock of wild turkeys along one of me paths thru a woods.
 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Lots of people are aware of and familiar with the idea of 'backyard habitats' which even have certification processes to, as much as possible, mimic local habitat, only use native plants and materials, and try to attract native wildlife.
But because of a truly weird consensus among home owners and their HOAs, front yards must only contain non-native well manicured grasses and a few decorative shrubs or just pave it all. Which is a shame because I'd rather use my backyard for the gardening, literally, in a subsistence gardening layout, then make the front yard habitat. But very few places will let you.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Lots of people are aware of and familiar with the idea of 'backyard habitats' which even have certification processes to, as much as possible, mimic local habitat, only use native plants and materials, and try to attract native wildlife.
But because of a truly weird consensus among home owners and their HOAs, front yards must only contain non-native well manicured grasses and a few decorative shrubs or just pave it all. Which is a shame because I'd rather use my backyard for the gardening, literally, in a subsistence gardening layout, then make the front yard habitat. But very few places will let you.
And try putting up solar panels or wind generators...oh, the humanity!
 

Bob the Unbeliever

Well-Known Member
I wish I could let my lawn go Native.

In Oklahoma, there are quite a number of native grasses, none of whom get all that tall, and are all quite handsome in their own way. My backyard is about 1/2 wild (the parts I cannot get to, to mow), but the front is "classic lawn".

One concession, though? My grass is nearly all crab grass. Which is fine with me, and the city doesn't care what sort of grass you have, so long as you keep it below 12" (about 20 cm). I keep it shorter than that.

It goes through an interesting Life Cycle, though: Early spring? Wild flowers and weeds come up, none growing higher than 4 to 6 inches (less than 10cm). I ignore these-- they are quite pretty, mostly tiny purple flowers. And some clover in-between, which sport lovely white flowers.

These are pushed out by the crab grass, about mid summer. Eventually, by September, the weather goes ultra-dry, and everything just goes brown. Which is fine, too. Sometimes, late Sept into October, we get enough rains to green it up, making me mow one last time, late October, early November.

But I kinda wish I could do an Oklahoma Tall Grass Prarie up in there-- the Tall Grasses can be very beautiful in their way, with wispy, feathery tops, but they can get 15 to 20 inches or more (40+ cm) which would get the city all p888ed off....

*sigh*
 

Stanyon

WWMRD?
I pay a local kid who wants to make a few bucks to mow and trim mine, he makes a few dollars and I have a cut and trimmed lawn all summer so the neighbors and city don't complain. The summer is our busiest time averaging around 60-72 hrs a week, all overtime over 40 :) so it doesn't bother me one bit not to do anything with it.
 
I mow whatever is green, but not all of our property is mowed. Recently we purchased a battery powered lawn mower. In the spring I have many wild violets everywhere. There are a few different types of wild ground cover, some with teeny flowers. More areas have been taken over with white clover, which are covered by bees when it's sunny. Milkweeds grow next to the house in one area, and one day recently I counted at least five Monarch butterfly larvae.
 
Top